The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has impacted the plans of automakers large and small—even those planning to make all-electric supercars.
The list of delayed launches now includes the 1,914-horsepower Rimac C_Two. On Tuesday the company said it would begin deliveries in 2021, not 2020, as originally planned.
Rimac recently resumed normal operations as shelter-in-place restrictions were lifted in Croatia, where the company is based. The company said it recently completed a new assembly line for the C_Two, which will start off building prototype cars.
Those cars will be used for final validation and crash testing, according to Rimac. While the company said the new assembly line cuts the build time for these prototypes in half, to about five weeks, it anticipates a long road ahead before building the first customer cars.
Rimac said it had built four prototypes so far this year, but a further 13 are needed, followed by another 10 "pre-series" cars. These cars will be used to complete testing, and homologate the C_Two for sale with regulators, the company said.
The C_Two was first shown in concept form at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show. A production-ready version was scheduled to be unveiled in Geneva this year, but the show was canceled due to the pandemic. Rimac now plans to unveil the production C_Two later this year.
Rimac C_Two California
The C_Two serves as a cheerleader or, literally, a poster car for all-electric technology. When it unveiled the concept version in 2018, Rimac promised 0-62 mph in 1.9 seconds and a top speed of 258 mph. Those numbers are impressive for any car—electric or otherwise.
Rimac is likely best known for its supercars (as the name implies, the C_Two is Rimac's second model following the Concept One), but the company views itself as a supplier first and an automaker second. The cars serve as high-profile advertisements for Rimac's electric-powertrain tech, which the company actively markets to other automakers.
Porsche and Hyundai have both purchased small stakes in Rimac, with the latter expected to partner with the Croatian firm on an electric performance car for its "N" sub-brand.
Rimac also supplied the 800-volt battery pack and power systems for the Koenigsegg Regera hybrid supercar.